


The Stars Above

by angryschnauzer



Category: The Martian (2015)
Genre: F/M, None for Chapter 1
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-08-28
Updated: 2018-10-22
Packaged: 2019-07-03 20:57:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,834
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15826788
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/angryschnauzer/pseuds/angryschnauzer
Summary: Once Dr Chris Beck returned to earth he decided to retrain as a sealife vet, there are so many unexplored regions under the sea he never needs to leave the planet again. But what happens when he discovers something no-one had seen before, and finds that a myth is in fact reality?





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Sinistretoile](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sinistretoile/gifts).



> This is my entry into @siren-kitten-his’s Mermaid Writing Challenge. It was originally going to be a oneshot, but it grew and grew, plus with the deadline looming and i still hadn’t finished it i thought it best to split it down and make it multiple parts, Set after the movie The Martian, this is a separate slightly AU timeline where Chris Beck didn’t get together with Beth Johanssen.

The Stars Above

 

Chris pulled on his freshly laundered Polo shirt, smiling as even after the detergent had done its work, he could still pick up the scent of the aquarium on it. He ran his fingers over the new embroidery of the staff position just below the logo, grinning like a schoolboy when he read for the hundredth time ‘Staff’ rather than ‘Trainee’.  With that smile still on his face he tied his sneakers, grabbed his phone, wallet and keys and shoved them into the pockets of his cargo shorts and made his way out of his beachfront cabin.

 

Strolling along the waterfront sidewalk just as the sun was coming up, he sipped his takeout coffee from the independent place on the corner as he walked to work. The past five years couldn’t have been more different to the five - or even ten - before it. The extensive NASA training and then the ill fated mission into space aboard the Ares III, returning to earth and the extensive debriefing and therapy. It was the result of the mission that had ended up putting him onto the path he’d chosen; to retrain as a veterinarian, and deciding to specialise in Marine Mammals. As much as he now hated the mere thought of ever stepping off the planet again, the appeal of the unknown and the promising voyage of discovery into parts undiscovered on the very planet he lived on drew his passion.

 

He was now a fully fledged staff member, having retrained in Marine mammal wildlife and was now proud to be on the Dolphin and Manatee team at the Marine Rescue Facility on the gulf coast of Florida. 

 

As he approached the Aquarium entrance a pair of Pelicans flew over him, their swooping wingspans creating a pleasant noise in the quiet morning. Jogging up the few steps into the building he swiped his security pass and entered the building, walking quickly past the exhibits before pausing at ‘his’ tank; the largest on site and one that had direct access to the ocean via a series of deep channels and lock gates;

 

“Hello there my darlings…” he pressed his hand against the glass and watched as the Dolphins rushed over, recognising his deep voice as it resonated through the glass. He could hear their high pitched clicks as they called out to him. He laughed as they swam off, parting their ways as he saw his favourite of creatures ambling much slower towards him; the Manatee’s. 

 

When he had chosen his speciality, he had at first been fascinated by the Dolphins; their speed and intelligence, their playfulness. But it was only when he started training on the Manatees that he finally found his calling. These gentle giants were beautiful, they were calming and quiet, but still had a mischievous side that really gave each and every one their own personality. He looked through the pod that gathered at the window, scanning the crowd for the one he liked the most before he finally saw her, the shy female that usually hung at the back, but as the rest of the pod swam away and she approached the glass he saw the recognition in her eyes as he held his palm on the glass. She closed her eyes and pressed her snout to the other side, as if trying to feel his touch. 

When he finally pulled his hand away from the glass he smiled as she stayed there for a moment before doing the same, opening her eyes and staring at him before he finally pointed up through the glass, signalling for her to return to the surface to breathe.

 

She twisted her head to look up at the surface of the water, giving a final glance back at him before swimming off. Finally making his way to the break room, Chris emptied the dregs of his coffee into the sink before stashing his travel mug in the staff dishwasher and made his way to the briefing room.

 

-

 

Adjusting the string on his swim shorts Chris made sure it was securely tied before he swung his legs over the side of the tank. He could hear the other staff members start their talk to the crowd of high school kids on a field trip and had done this hundreds of times; the kids no matter what their ages loved to see the staff in the water with the dolphins and it always helped with donations at the end of the tour. Checking his goggles and snorkel he slipped into the water and with a powerful stroke swam to the centre of the enclosure before taking a deep breath and ducking under the water. 

 

The dolphins were first to notice his presence, swimming around him excitedly before the Manatees ambled over. As they moved gracefully through the water he held his hands out as each one passed, all of them rubbing their noses and snouts against the palm of his hand. He could feel his lungs start to burn but he saw her coming, his favourite and as she passed slowly he delicately tickled the top of her head before returning to the surface. He could hear his colleague explaining about the species and how each of them had come into their care; all rescue animals that had been injured by humans in one way or another whether it being fishing, sports, or simply careless littering. He swam to the side and grabbed the two net bags of treats; Squid for the Dolphins, lettuce for the Manatees.

 

Diving down he made sure he was closer to the glass this time so that the kids could see the action, and he signed hello to the distorted images of 30 curious faces through the thick glass before he started to pull the squid out of the net. 

 

The Dolphins here next to him in an instant, rushing past him and snatching the squid from his fingers. Soon he could feel the familiar burn again in his lungs and he went to move, but the pod were swimming faster, getting closer and closer each time until the largest one swam just that fraction too close. In an instant the world closed in around him as the animal had knocked his goggles and snorkel off, but as he panicked ten feet below the water’s surface suddenly he saw her.

 

Rising up from the bottom of the tank she was beautiful, swimming powerfully through the water, a smile on her face as she wrapped her arms around his torso and her strong tail swooshed at the dolphins, parting the way as he was pushed to the surface. The last thing he saw as he felt two pairs of hands pull him from the water was her face; her human face with her warm smile and sparkling eyes; eyes that were so familiar it overloaded his brain and he blacked out.

 

-

 

Chris sat on the side of the gurney in the small ER dept, signing the release forms before thanking the nurse for the loan of a pair of scrubs. He’d been rushed in an ambulance after the incident in the pool much to his protests even though he’d gained consciousness only seconds after blacking out, but the aquariums manager had insisted he get himself checked out for their insurance and to cover their asses if anything happened due to side affects of almost drowning. 

 

Walking out of the building he felt the rush of warm afternoon air hit his face before the beep of a car horn drew his attention to an old pickup truck parked outside;

 

“Hey Doc!”

 

Chris smiled at the familiar face, it was one of the elderly volunteers from the Aquarium. Jogging across the road between slow moving traffic he went up to the drivers window;

 

“Hey Derek…”

 

“Hop in Doc, the boss sent me to pick you up when they realised your stuff was still at work”

 

Running around to the passenger side door Chris climbed in and got comfortable, listening as the old man chatted away whilst slowly making his way through the downtown rush hour traffic. 

 

“... but when she saved you, i coulda’ sworn she had arms around ya’...”

 

Chris’s attention was suddenly drawn back to what Derek was saying;

 

“Huh?”

 

“Well, it’s what Manatee’s were first thought of, by Columbus’s crew; they caught glimpses of the Sea Cows and thought they were Mermaids, didn’t they?”

 

Chris nodded, not wanting to voice what he saw; he had two PhD’s and was an expert in his field now, he couldn’t start to entertain these notions of Mermaids. Laughing politely he just agreed with the old man, nodding thoughtfully as they finally returned to the Aquarium parking lot.

 

-

 

It had been a week since the incident in the tank and Chris didn’t want to admit it, but deep down it had spooked him a bit. His colleagues had taken on the in-tank feeding dives, but he was starting to miss swimming with the animals, and in particular was missing her. He’d volunteered for the night shift over the weekend, it wasn’t his turn but the guy who was on the rota’s wife had just given birth a couple of weeks previously, so had asked to swap. Chris was more than happy to cover for him, the guy had bags under his eyes bigger than a scallop shell.

 

Working nights didn’t bother Chris, he was used to long hours; sometimes working double or even triple shifts when he was a doctor and also on Ares iii. Looking out over the large enclosure he smiled as he saw the Dolphins tentatively jumping out of the water. Where the mangrove trees had grown at the sides of the tank he could see the snouts of the Manatee’s poking above the water and letting out the gentle lungfuls of breath before diving down again to nibble at the sea lettuce that grew there. 

 

As tanks went this one was impressively large, it was more of a enclosed lagoon, set naturally into the sandstone bedrock and was the size of a football field. It was large enough to allow the animals to rehabilitate before they were finally released back into the ocean. In the distance he could see the Gulf of Mexico and he wondered if the animals he cared for understood why they were being kept there, that one day they would be set free to return to the wild. Sitting on the wall at the side of the tank and letting his bare feet dangle into the sun warmed waters he pulled the lettuce out from the large net he’d brought out from the building and started to throw pieces into the water. Moments later the small bow-waves that told him the gentle giants were heading towards him were visible on the water’s surface, five snouts appearing simultaneously as he laughed and fed each one in turn. 

 

As always she hung back until last and he wondered why; surely by now she was used to him? Dangling the lettuce a little further he smiled as he saw her swim gracefully up to him and carefully use her soft mouth to pluck it from his grasp. He tickled the top of her head as she happily munched on the greenery, listening as he spoke softly;

 

“I need to thank you for saving me…” he let out a low self deprecating laugh; “I would have been a goner if you hadn’t gotten the dolphins out of the way”

 

She let out a puff of breath that sprayed water droplets over his shirt and he laughed again, moving his hand to rub under her chin. He sighed and sat back on the wall, watching as she tipped her head back as if to look at the night sky;

 

“You know, i’ve been up there… to the stars…”

 

She turned back quickly to him as if she really was part of the conversation, floating in the water as he continued;

“I know… it’s a strange concept; you’ve spent your life in the sea, whereas i’ve travelled off of the planet into space…” he paused, looking at her dark eyes as she watched him intently before slowly swirling in the water, pushing herself past him in a circle.

 

He ran his hand down her back, gently touching the scar tissue from the old outboard motor injury that was now healed almost perfectly. She returned to the position in which she was previously, floating as she watched him.

 

“There are so many things i still can’t believe i’ve seen. I’ve looked down at this planet. I’ve felt what the vacuum of space is like… and those seem more fantastical than the thought that i hallucinated when i was in that tank and thought you were a mermaid…” he looked up at the night sky again and saw a shooting star cross the purple and black backdrop of space, taking a deep breath again; “... you’ll be released soon… and i don’t even know what to call you. You’re still patient 22…”

 

Chris continued to stare up at the stars, a quiet splashing in the corner of his mind as he was lost in thought until finally a quiet and unfamiliar voice interrupted his thoughts;

 

“Trich… you can call me Trich…”

 

His head whipped around so fast he almost gave himself whiplash, loosing his balance on the wall for a moment before he steadied himself and cautiously brought his gaze to the source of the sound of water lapping at something; there she was…

 

“Trich?”

 

She was exactly as he’d seen her in the dive tank that day; dark eyes that held a curious gaze, long dark hair that flowed over her shoulders and into the water. She nodded as she heard him say her name for the first time. She had revealed herself to just one other human before, and that was the same human that had ended up causing the injury she’d suffered when he’d panicked in the Everglades and had been so quick to fire up the outboard motor on his small boat that he’d ploughed straight into her. But this time it felt different; the Doctor had helped her, and hadn’t freaked out when she had saved him in return;

 

“What’s your name?”

 

He paused for a moment, staring open mouthed at her as he took in what he was seeing before finally coming to his senses;

 

“Chris… my name is Chris…”

 

Just at that moment they heard the sound of the metal outer gate between the building and the lagoon open, Chris’s attention being drawn to whoever was approaching;

 

“Dr Beck?” a voice called out.

 

Chris recognised it as the intern that was helping out;

 

“Yeah… over here…”

 

He looked out over the lagoon; she was already gone. A small bow wave where she was swimming back to the pod that gathered near the mangrove trees that dipped their roots into the water.

 

“... what is it Matt?”

 

“We’ve had someone turn up with some eggs they think are turtles…”

 

“I’m not a reptile Vet…”

 

“But you’re more qualified than me, so its got to be your call as to what we do…”

 

Pushing himself to his feet Chris emptied the last of the lettuce into the lagoon, and with a last wistful glance to the far corner where he knew she was made his way inside the building.


	2. Chapter 2

The Stars Above - Part 2

 

By the time Chris dragged himself along the beachfront walk to his cabin on the shoreline he was exhausted. What had started as an amazing night; discovering Mermaids were in fact real, had ended in a fistfight in the aquarium foyer and the cops being called. Thankfully he hadn’t been the one being arrested; instead that joy had been reserved for the shifty drunk that had managed to catch Matt the intern at the doorway, convince him that the bag of sandy pingpong balls were Turtle eggs and had come to get Chris.

 

When they had returned to the foyer they had interrupted the shady drunk attempting to jimmy the cash register open, at which point they had tackled him. However it turned out neither Chris nor Matt were any good at actual fist fights, and the drunk was a lot more cunning that he’d seemed. Eventually they’d managed to hog tie him with couple of branded lanyard strings from the gift shop. When the cops finally turned up there was some confusion as to what had actually gone on, but it ended up with the drunk being arrested for attempted theft, property damage, fraud, and possible conservation by-laws being broken. 

 

Chris had done most of the tidying up following the struggle whilst Matt had attempted to fix the cash register, and by the time the morning crew came in they were both exhausted from the evenings unplanned activities.

 

As he slowly made his way along the cool sidewalk he looked out at the calm ocean, the waves lapping gently along the beach and a moment of impulsiveness hit him. Toeing off his sneakers and balling his socks up into the pockets of his shorts he made his way to the shoreline, swinging his shoes from one hand as he walked through the foamy breakwater, his mind a million miles away. 

 

With his beach front cabin in sight he paused and looked out to sea, the early morning fishing boats heading out into the Gulf of Mexico to take tourists out for a day of line fishing marlin, paddle boarders enjoying the early morning sun and calm waters. Taking a couple of steps up the beach he sat on the dry sand, letting his legs stretch out in front of him so that the bubbles of the waves gently broke and tickled his skin. As he watched the world go by something in the water caught his eye, reaching through the shallow crystal clear waters he let the sand rush past his fingers as his grasp closed on it before pulling it out to inspect his find. 

 

Holding his treasure up he rubbed the sand from its blue-green opaque surface and smiled; it was a piece of sea glass, worn to an almost perfect circle where the constant ebb and flow of the gentle tides had worn it against the rough sand of the seabed. 

 

“Trich would like this” he said to himself, his own voice shocking him as he realised he’d spoken his thoughts aloud in his state of exhaustion, but smiling when he realised his subconscious knew him better than he knew himself. Standing and brushing the sand from his shorts, he made for his cabin, looking forward to a shower and some sleep before he returned to the Aquarium that evening for his next night shift.

 

-

 

The next evening brought dark skies clouded with the threat of rain on the horizon meaning as he walked to work there was little sunset to speak of. Pulling his windbreaker jacket around him a little closer he shuddered against the chill in the air; hurricane season would soon be upon the sleepy little west shore town. 

 

Entering the building the humidity of the tropical tanks were a welcome feeling and he jogged through the building, passing all the usual exhibits as before reaching the largest tank. As he stood there and the familiar parade of animals swam over, the last few straggling visitors were making their way out of the building via the gift shop. As expected it was the dolphins first which he happily waved at, but as the bubbles cleared as they swam past a huge smile spread across his face as he saw her swimming eagerly at the front of the pod; Trich was leading the manatees towards him. 

 

Chris pressed his hand against the glass and he watched as she nuzzled against it, her dark eyes closed as if she could feel his touch. After a moment she pulled back and he could have sworn he saw her smile before she swam up through the water to the surface of the tank. The rest of the pod swam off, disinterested as there was no food being offered at that time. He quickly punched the key code into the staff door and ran up the steps that led to the surface of the tank, smiling when he saw her snout poking over the edge of the tank waiting for him.

 

“Someone’s eager to see you tonight…” Matt the intern remarked, glancing over his shoulder before returning to his task of preparing the evening feed for the animals.

 

“Yeah, well you know, this one’s special…”

 

Chris wasn’t going to elaborate how Trich was special, instead he returned his attention to where she was floating in the water. Keeping his voice low he ducked his head down towards the surface, thankful that Matt had already put his earphones in and was now humming along to whatever music he had on his phone;

 

“I have something for you…”  Trich’s face shimmered for a moment, as if she was trying to contain her excitement and identity as he continued; “... later, when its time for the night swim in the lagoon” She closed her eyes and nuzzled against his outstretched hand before dipping down below the waters surface and blowing a spray of bubbles at him making him laugh.

 

-

 

Chris thought that he would never get out to the lagoon, each time he thought he was ok to head outside yet another urgent task needed his attention. Thankfully they had some extra hands on shift so when midnight rolled ever closer he was able to pull his windbreaker on and eagerly run outside, no-one else keen to head into the cool night now that it had started to rain.

 

Breaking into a quick jog he made his way to the lagoon, heading further away from the building and towards the mangrove trees he knew the manatee’s liked to shelter under. Once he was away from the bright lights of the aquarium his eyes adjusted to the darkness, noticing small ripples on the surface as the majestic animals slowly swam under the surface. Leaning over and placing his hand on the water, he held it on the surface, knowing Trich’s sensitive hearing would be able to pick up his heartbeat as it echoed through the water. 

 

Suddenly he felt pressure against his palm, lifting it gently as Trich rose out of the water, her dark eyes shining in the night;

 

“Chris”

 

He smiled as she said his name, her accent unfamiliar to his ears but warming his heart no less. Settling his chest on the low wall with his knees on the ground below it, he leant forwards and rubbed his thumb over her cheek;

 

“How have you been? Have the others been treating you well?”

 

She nodded, smiling as the pale night light hit her face making it seem like she was glowing. Turning in the water she dipped her head backwards, her long dark hair trailing over her torso like tendrils of flowing kelp. Looking up at the starless sky she let out a sigh, not of frustration or sadness, but of contentedness;

 

“The others are not like me”

 

Chris glanced at the water in the distance where the rest of the pod were swimming, slowly grazing on the underwater vegetation;

 

“They’re not Mermaids?”

 

Trich straightened up, looking back at Chris with a look of confusion on her face;

 

“What’s a Mermaid?”

 

In that moment he realised that she had probably lived her whole life without realising that there was a name for her kind. He took a deep breath and considered his words carefully;

 

“Trich… a mermaid is someone like you… someone who can become human, but also lives their life under the sea. There have been stories for generations of your kind, but most people that are lucky enough to encounter one of you aren’t believed… your entire existence is considered a myth…”

 

She looked at him, her carefree expression gone from her face, a look of self doubt and worry having replaced it;

 

“Do you believe i’m real?”

She swam closer, close enough that Chris could hold out his hand to her, waiting, hoping that she would reach out her own. He closed his eyes, nerves about to get the better of him when he felt it, the soft touch of her fingers against his own. His eyes shot open, the smile that spread over his face almost lighting the night sky;

 

“You’re the realest thing i’ve ever seen”

 

Smoothing his thumb over the back of her hand, they stayed like that for what seemed like an age, the soft noise of the waves crashing onto the beach in the distance and the occasional snort of bubbles from the far end of the lagoon the only sounds filling the night. That was until he remembered the whole reason why he was so eager to see Trich that night. Not releasing his hand from hers, he reached around and dug around in his pocket, smiling at her as she confusion spread over her face as she wondered what he was doing. When the glass pebble finally was firmly in his grasp he let out a sigh of relief and relaxed;

 

“I have something for you… a gift…”

 

Trich giggled excitedly as Chris held out his hand, finally opening his fingers to reveal the aquamarine glass gem within. Her eyes went wide and she pulled her hand from his grasp before taking the gift from him, holding it tenderly in her hands as she brought it close to her face to look at in in wonder;

 

“It’s… it’s beautiful…”

 

Before Christ could say anything further the sound of the metal door to the main building banging against the still broken doorstop sounded around the lagoon, Trich quickly diving beneath the water’s surface before reemerging moments later as her manatee persona. 

 

“Hey Dr Beck? Are you out here?”

 

Chris recognised the voice of one of the new interns, calling out to her;

 

“Over here, just checking on the Manatee’s”

Quick footsteps followed before the younger woman appeared, her uniform windbreaker flapping around her waist as the wind started to pick up;

 

“Dr Beck… there’s a staff meeting starting shortly; its the updates we need from the Mammals tank that you need to present”

 

“Oh… of course Katie, Sorry…

 

“Kate”

 

“Sorry” he muttered, giving Trich one last glance before getting to his feet and reluctantly following Kate into the building

 

-

 

The meeting was boring and Chris found his mind wandering a number of times, he wished they wouldn’t do meetings when the night shift was on, it was meant to be a shift covered to get things done that you couldn’t do when the aquarium and rescue center was open to the public in the day. But as the manager droned on about visitor numbers and craft activities for the school visits, Chris was finding it hard to stay awake. That was until his name was called, startling him a little as he was called to answer some questions;

 

“Dr Beck, as the representative for the mammal department, can you update us on the rehabilitation of the Manatees and Dolphins?”

 

Chris glanced down as the hastily written notes one of his department colleagues had done at the end of the day shift, blinking at the scrappy handwriting before clearing his throat;

 

“Of course… we expect four out of the dolphin pod to be fully rehabilitated by the end of the month”

 

“And the Manatees’?”

 

Chris frowned, he didn’t like being interrupted, least of all by some paper pusher who knew zip about actual medicine;

 

“Two will be ready to leave by the end of the week, with a further three by the end of the month”

 

The manager nodded;

 

“Good. Good… we have news from a rescue center up in Cedar Key that they have three that will need to be transferred to us soon so we need to get ours shifted. New fish bring in new customers”

 

Chris ground his teeth at the mere mention of Manatee’s being ‘fish’, but the manager missed the look of daggers that he was at the receiving end of from Chris;

 

“... we need some prettier ones to come in, i hope that slow female with the massive scar is heading out soon, none of the guests want to have their photograph taken next to the tanks when she’s wallowing past”

 

By that point Chris knew that if he opened his mouth he’d be fired on the spot, so unlike his normal nature to speak up, he remained quiet; he needed to think, to figure out how he was now going to tell Trich that she would soon be set free, out of his care and into the big wide ocean again. He knew there was something special happening at the aquarium, he just needed to figure out how the hell to deal with it.

  
  



End file.
